VICTORIA MARTINEZ
Senior News Editor

Next month, you could be the owner of a coin older than Jesus Christ.

A Roman coin from 104 BCE is already on campus, in the purse of one Archaelogical Student’s Association executive. She, along with the rest of the ASA, are raffling off the coin in November to fund a scholarship to send archaeology students on study abroad programs.

The face of the solid silver coin features Roma, the deity of Rome and, on the reverse, Saturn in his chariot. Roma has a mixed significance depending on who you ask, but Saturn was a pretty violent deity: he was the one who ate most of his children. On the other hand, he fled to Rome in the Golden Age and brought along peace and harmony for his stay.

Enthusiastic about the coin, ASA secretary Rebecca Jackson and treasurer Heather Kerr described the coin’s history.

“How do you describe the Romans without using the word awesome?” asked Kerr.

“Awesome. They were awesome,” rejoined Jackson.

The use of Roma coincides with power still being vested in the Senate, they explained.

“It’s neat looking at the iconography… I think it just shows power. Rome was thriving in 104 [BCE],” continued Kerr.

Small and somewhat uneven, the excellently preserved coin maintains a level of detail both students get excited about. The original coin would have been carved from a wooden block, then silver was added to the cast. A solid blow to the block would create the coin — hence the slight unevenness.

The group’s excitement for the coin was palpable. They also hinted at a passion for the “gaudier” Byzantine coin, for coin collectors and history buffs.

The raffle of the coin at a field school talk the first weekend of November will be significant for the still young ASA. The student group is taking the opportunity to gain new membership and funds, and to help its students gain a complete education.

In order to be qualified for postgraduate study and most professional work in archaeology, students must complete digs to gain practical knowledge. Considering the breadth of potential areas of study in the field, many students choose to go abroad to familiarize themselves with their interest.

“For what I’m interested in, human evolution, you just can’t do that in America. There’s just not enough depth here,” explained ASA vice president Jeffery Seckinger.

In order to practice close to home, archaeologists must be interested in plains, homesteads or relatively recent historical archaeology. While that works out perfectly for some students, it simply is not appropriate for many specializations.

“You need to experience that culture,” said president Lyle Goldie, who specialized in Greek history. “I came back with my fill of feta cheese.”

Field school is expensive, as any study abroad is, but unlike many study abroad programs, this work is nearly essential to an archaeological degree. Masters programs already generally require field experience, and at the University of Saskatchewn it will likely be mandatory for honours students. To add to the problem, most field schools operate in midsummer, leaving students with an awkward time for employment.

To counter these challenges, the ASA is using proceeds from the raffle to fund a scholarship for any students hoping to go overseas.

“I wanted to do my field school but couldn’t afford to go,” said Kerr, citing the $3,500 dollar price tag one can expect to work overseas, not including food on weekends and any possible excursions.

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image: Pete Yee